Chapter Summaries

Yun Qin sought a cure for Wuhuo’s shattered foundation, but learned that no ordinary pill could save him. After Guanyin and the Northern Emperor challenged her understanding of karma and Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion, she chose to follow her heart and pursue the Ziwei Emperor Qi True Scripture so she could help her friend.

• Yun Qin learned from celestial physicians and immortals that Wuhuo’s foundation was beyond their ability to repair, and Guanyin counseled her about the karma involved in helping him.
• Guanyin taught Yun Qin a method for finding Wuhuo in a future life and advised her to act sincerely without letting attachment bind her.
• Yun Qin visited the Northern Emperor and asked for the Ziwei Emperor Qi True Scripture so she could cultivate enough to restore Wuhuo’s foundation.
• Yun Qin argued that avoiding trouble and seeking immortality were meaningless if they made her unlike herself, and the Northern Emperor agreed to give her the scripture if she defeated ten opponents of equal cultivation.
• Yun Qin took up the sword without hesitation and prepared to challenge the star officials and immortals of the Northern Emperor’s court.

Yue Shiru returned to his Daoist sect and delivered Qi WuHuo’s letter to Patriarch Lü, who revealed that Qi WuHuo was his senior brother. While the sect struggled to absorb the revelation, Qi WuHuo traveled onward in a donkey cart toward the town beneath He Lian Mountain.

• Yue Shiru returned to the sect, recounted the Central Province calamity, and declined to seek an immediate breakthrough so he could gain more experience.
• A steward rebuked Yue Shiru, dismissed his account of Qi WuHuo, and tried to seize the letter; Yue Shiru used Qi WuHuo’s teachings to throw the steward aside.
• Lü Chunyang appeared, read Qi WuHuo’s letter, and urgently asked Yue Shiru where his senior brother had gone.
• Lü Chunyang told the sect that Qi WuHuo was his senior brother, leaving Yue Shiru and the disciples stunned.
• Yue Shiru’s Teacher explained that the sect would have to honor Qi WuHuo as a Patriarch, while Qi WuHuo rode in a donkey cart toward the town beneath He Lian Mountain.

Qi WuHuo returned to He Lian Mountain and reunited with its spirits, then learned that a Black Bear had occupied the Mountain God’s estate and claimed the mountain for himself. Qi WuHuo confronted the Black Bear and revealed that he was He Lian Mountain’s Mountain God.

• Qi WuHuo disguised himself and his companions as ordinary birds before returning to town, where the night watchman recognized him and neighbors welcomed him home.
• After settling into his old house, Qi WuHuo went into the mountains and found the Little Deer Spirit and Little Huang Jing waiting for him.
• The spirits told Qi WuHuo that a Black Bear had occupied the Mountain God’s estate and was trying to take over He Lian Mountain.
• Qi WuHuo decided to deal with the intruder and followed the spirits to the Black Bear’s gathering of demons.
• The Black Bear challenged Qi WuHuo, and Qi WuHuo announced that he was He Lian Mountain’s Mountain God.

Qi WuHuo returned to He Lian Mountain, defeated the bear demon who had seized it, and decided to give up his Mountain God position before traveling to Jinzhou. As he traveled underground, an unseen presence flicked him on the forehead, leaving him startled and in pain.

• Qi WuHuo defeated the black bear and his demons by disrupting their Qi, freezing them, and transforming the bear into a cub.
• The black bear explained his past with Guanyin Bodhisattva and showed Qi WuHuo a letter from the Fierce Tiger Mountain Lord, who reported that WuHuo had become famous in the Demon Kingdom.
• Qi WuHuo told the mountain spirits he would leave for Jinzhou after giving one final lecture and refining one final batch of pills, then return his Mountain God position.
• Qi WuHuo traveled underground with the little Peacock and the little Medicine Spirit and perceived the golden Earth Vein Qi more clearly than before.
• A pale, unseen hand slipped past Qi WuHuo's Primordial Ancestral Qi and flicked him on the forehead.

Qi WuHuo met Empress Houtu, who accepted his resignation as Mountain God of He Lian Mountain and gave him guidance on following his own path rather than merely copying the Three Pure Ones. She then offered him a chance to behold Earth, ending by beckoning him over and tapping his forehead.

• Empress Houtu revealed herself to Qi WuHuo as Primordial Ying Yuanjun and praised his actions during the Zhongzhou calamity.
• Qi WuHuo asked to resign as Mountain God of He Lian Mountain because he could not stay and fulfill the role, and Empress Houtu removed his Mountain God Talisman Seal.
• Empress Houtu restored some Primordial Ancestral Qi and asked Qi WuHuo what he sought through cultivation.
• Empress Houtu warned Qi WuHuo to learn from the Three Pure Ones without becoming them, and offered him an opportunity to behold Earth.
• Empress Houtu beckoned Qi WuHuo over and tapped him on the forehead.

The young Daoist experienced He Lian Mountain’s history through the earth and met Empress Houtu, whose guidance helped him recover and comprehend Earth Vein Thunder. As he returned home, the mountain’s spirits chose a new name for He Lian Mountain: Square Inch Mountain.

• The young Daoist witnessed the earth’s transformations and saw Empress Houtu, then absorbed Earth Qi that restored part of his damaged foundation.
• The young Daoist comprehended Earth Vein Thunder while Empress Houtu discussed testing his understanding before deciding his future Mountain God position.
• Empress Houtu decided to rename He Lian Mountain and promised to give the young Daoist the mountain as a home if his comprehension proved extraordinary.
• Elder Tao and the mountain’s spirits debated a new name, rejecting suggestions including Qi Mountain, Wu Huo Mountain, and Elixir Cauldron Peak.
• The young Daoist returned home with Little Peacock and Little Medicine Spirit asleep in his basket, while the spirits settled on Square Inch Mountain as the mountain’s new name.

Qi WuHuo returned home and learned that Su Shengyuan still hoped he would pursue scholarship, though WuHuo chose a different path. A letter from the Fierce Tiger Mountain God revealed that the Jinzhou massacre may have been deliberately orchestrated to cultivate the forbidden Nurturing Saint Embryo art, leaving WuHuo to confront the truth that the victims’ courage and suffering had been used in a ritual.

• Qi WuHuo returned to town with food and welcomed Su Shengyuan into his home.
• Su Shengyuan offered WuHuo examination papers and silver, but WuHuo said he would no longer take the exams.
• The older woman next door told WuHuo that Su Shengyuan had searched for him for months after he disappeared.
• Qi WuHuo recalled Su Shengyuan’s political history and reflected that their choices about how to help the people had diverged.
• Qi WuHuo read a letter from the Fierce Tiger Mountain God describing ancient demon cultivation methods and suspecting that Jinzhou’s massacre had served a blood sacrifice.
• The Fierce Tiger Mountain God identified Nurturing Saint Embryo as the likeliest purpose of the slaughter, and WuHuo realized the victims’ grief and courage had been deliberately made part of a ritual.

Qi WuHuo reflected on the cruelty behind the Human Emperor, Great Saint, and Great Emperor, then erased their names and continued preparing to travel to Jinzhou. Yun Qin endured repeated battles against Star Lord phantoms, won the Ziwei Emperor Qi True Scripture, and contacted WuHuo after hiding her injuries.

• Qi WuHuo understood how the Great Saints used the suffering and heroic spirit of ordinary people to advance, and questioned the three imposing titles as he sat awake through the night.
• At dawn, Qi WuHuo erased the names of the Great Emperor, Great Saint, and Human Emperor, then returned to his daily routine and continued healing his foundation with Primordial Ancestral Qi and Earth Qi.
• Qi Yuntun suddenly spoke aloud for the first time, celebrated its new ability, and then fell asleep again, while Little Medicine Spirit continued sleeping.
• Yun Qin fought and lost repeatedly to Star Lord phantoms, adapted to their techniques, and finally earned the Ziwei Emperor Qi True Scripture from the Northern Emperor.
• Yun Qin declined the Northern Emperor's offers of greater rewards, bathed and changed to conceal her injuries, then used the Northern Emperor Mirror to contact Qi WuHuo.

Yun Qin persuaded Qi WuHuo to study the Ziwei Emperor Qi True Scripture, and he began grasping its star-aligned, lethal qi before sensing that something in Heaven had noticed him. Meanwhile, Yu Miao rose through the Bureau of Stars’ trials to become Primordial Lady Taibai Yu Miao, and Old Yellow Ox announced the next vacant rank: Fire Luminary.

• Yun Qin presented the Ziwei Emperor Qi True Scripture to Qi WuHuo, who initially refused to study it because he feared she would be punished for passing it on.
• After Yun Qin insisted that it was safe, Qi WuHuo used Primordial Ancestral Qi to understand the scripture and began learning its star-aligned true qi.
• As the qi absorbed Qi WuHuo’s Human Dao Destiny, he sensed that something in Heaven had noticed him.
• Old Yellow Ox watched Yu Miao compete for a post in the Bureau of Stars and saw her rise to the rank of Eleven Luminaries Star Lord.
• The Taibai Star responded to Yu Miao, and she took the vacant office as Primordial Lady Taibai Yu Miao.
• Old Yellow Ox announced that the next rank under consideration was the revived Fire Luminary.

The Department of Battle held a fierce contest to choose a new Fire Virtue Star Lord, while Old Yellow Ox befriended Primordial Lady Yu Miao. Qi WuHuo was unexpectedly drawn into the selection, and Old Yellow Ox turned the surprise into an opportunity for him to experience the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown realm.

• Old Yellow Ox gave Primordial Lady Yu Miao his winnings as an apology, then invited the gods to celebrate her swordsmanship when she refused the coins.
• Qi WuHuo explained a method of refining qi to Yun Qin, grew exhausted, and fell asleep beneath a plum tree.
• Su Yue'er visited Qi WuHuo with books and brushes, but left without entering the courtyard after meeting Yun Qin.
• The gods of the Department of Battle and the Fire Department fought for the Fire Virtue Star Lord position, and Wei Huo Hu won the contest.
• Qi WuHuo was suddenly pulled into the selection formation, where Old Yellow Ox recognized him and urged him to use the suppressed realm as a chance to train.
• Old Yellow Ox opened a betting pool on how many rounds Qi WuHuo could win, and the Star Lords eagerly prepared to fight.

Qi WuHuo fought two Heavenly Court experts and learned to control powerful qi without relying on Primordial Ancestral Qi, defeating Star Lord Zuo Fu with a newly awakened sword technique. As his body began absorbing constellation power, Old Yellow Ox raised the stakes by offering a treasure to anyone who could force him to use an immortal art or divine ability.

• A Fire Division Refinement Officer pierced Qi WuHuo with his spear, but Qi WuHuo adapted during the fight and defeated him with a sword thrust to the throat.
• Star Lord Zuo Fu trapped Qi WuHuo in Pot Heaven and attacked him with the Circulatory Stars Great Formation.
• Qi WuHuo learned to dissolve the starlight qi through his own understanding, absorbed its power, and struck Zuo Fu with Tribulation Sword Three: Punish.
• Constellation power entered Qi WuHuo's body in the Human World and began raising his body's limits as his foundation changed.
• Old Yellow Ox announced that anyone who could force Qi WuHuo to use an immortal art or divine ability beyond Primordial Prenatal Qi could claim a treasure from his vault.

Taiyi Saves from Suffering and the Great Dao Lord watched as Qi WuHuo fought through the Department of Battles’ Star Lord selection, where Great Emperor Zhuling of the South Pole challenged him and tried to expose his identity. Guided by the Great Dao Lord, Qi WuHuo defeated Zhuling in combat and beheaded his avatar, leaving the assembled gods stunned.

• Taiyi Saves from Suffering divined that Qi WuHuo was in danger, then traveled toward the Department of Battles while the Great Dao Lord stayed behind to watch.
• Qi WuHuo defeated 137 Star Lords and generals with swordsmanship, and Old Yellow Ox declared him the likely Fire Virtue Star Lord.
• Great Emperor Zhuling of the South Pole entered the formation, wounded Qi WuHuo, and threatened to expose him as the Demon-Subduing True Lord.
• The Great Dao Lord secretly instructed Qi WuHuo, who adapted his swordsmanship and gained the upper hand against Zhuling.
• Qi WuHuo split Zhuling’s weapon, then beheaded his avatar and seized the Five-Fire Banner of Radiant Flames.

Qi WuHuo confronted Great Emperor Zhuling of the South Pole after Zhuling threatened Old Yellow Ox to punish him for executing Emperor Lord Donghua. Zhuling departed, but Qi WuHuo’s human killing intent completed his cultivation foundation, and the Exorcism Department prepared to answer Zhuling’s threat using his own logic.

• Qi WuHuo beheaded Great Emperor Zhuling of the South Pole’s avatar and rejected his threat against Old Yellow Ox.
• Zhuling argued that Emperor Lord Donghua’s rank entitled him to die with dignity, while Qi WuHuo insisted that Donghua had deserved his lawful execution.
• Qi WuHuo’s anger at Zhuling’s belief that mortals were mere specks of dust fused Ziwei Emperor Qi and Earth Qi through human killing intent, completing his Primordial Prenatal Qi realm foundation.
• Qi WuHuo reminded Zhuling that the Jade Emperor had praised his execution of Donghua and said he would report Zhuling’s threat to the Exorcism Department, prompting Zhuling to leave.
• Great Marshal Tianyou explained that Haotian had created the Heavenly Court to restrain powerful beings and that Qi WuHuo had chosen the wrong person to use as leverage.
• Yisheng and Zuo Fu confronted Zhuling, denied that they would arrest him for harsh words, and revealed that Zuo Fu had recorded his threat to use a Northern Emperor’s Son’s protector against an Exorcism Department general.

Great Marshal Tian Peng sought Great Master Xuan Du’s help against Great Emperor Zhuling, but Xuan Du refused to intervene in Xuanwei’s tribulation. As Zhuling fled to Great Emperor Changsheng’s domain, Xuan Du appeared in disguise and attacked him with an alchemy furnace and Six Ding Divine Fire.

• Star Lord Zuo Fu and Yisheng joined forces against Great Emperor Zhuling, but the three fought toward Great Emperor Changsheng’s dwelling without Zhuling being defeated.
• Great Marshal Tian Peng decided to handle Zhuling through an unattached wanderer and went to Xuan Du Temple to tell Great Master Xuan Du what had happened to Xuanwei.
• Xuan Du refused to help Xuanwei directly, saying he had to endure his own tribulations, but warned that he would not let anyone destroy his disciple.
• Zhuling reached the entrance to Great Emperor Changsheng’s domain and tried to flee inside, but a masked Daoist caught him with a sleeve and tore at the Vermilion Birds’ souls with a horsetail whisk.
• The masked Daoist revealed himself as Supreme Furnace Explosion True Lord, Great Emperor Miaole Destroying Elixirs, and dropped an alchemy furnace over Zhuling, engulfing him in Six Ding Divine Fire.

Great Master Xuan Du stopped Great Emperor Zhuling and warned Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole not to use Xuanwei to test the Supreme One lineage, securing a five-hundred-year reprieve. Meanwhile, Xuanwei abandoned the Fire Virtue Star Lord’s seal and returned to Yun Qin beneath the plum tree as the Heavenly Court searched for him.

• Xuan Du defeated Great Emperor Zhuling, then confronted Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole and forbade him from targeting Xuanwei to probe the Supreme One’s stance; Great Emperor Changsheng agreed not to attack Xuanwei personally for five hundred years.
• Great Emperor Changsheng healed Zhuling and sent him to apologize to the Northern Emperor’s Palace, while secretly considering how the incident could serve his aims.
• Xuan Du returned to Purple Mansion Xuan Du Temple, delivered Nine Revolutions Golden Elixirs to the Jade Emperor Palace, and warned his attendants that tribulation would rise within five hundred years.
• Xuan Du reflected that Tianpeng and Xuanwei were sinking deeper into tribulation as the immortals discovered that the Fire Virtue Star Lord had vanished, leaving his seal and banner behind.
• Qi WuHuo awoke beneath the plum tree beside Yun Qin, and the two laughed together after she noticed his face was painted like a cat.
• The Heavenly Court searched in confusion for the missing Fire Virtue Star Lord.

Qi WuHuo recovered part of his foundation, studied the Star Lords’ techniques, and discovered that the Primordial Ancestral Qi jade slip concealed a deeper transmission. In the human world, Seventh Prince Li Zhai’s father visited him under house arrest and asked whether he still resented him.

• The Star Lords realized that Old Yellow Ox had deceived them and disappeared after the false claim that a Fire Virtue Star Lord had come to challenge their ranks.
• Yun Qin spoke with Qi WuHuo about his dream and his resolve to keep exploring the human world, then vanished when her mother and Star Lord Zuo Fu arrived.
• After Yun Qin left, Qi WuHuo’s transformation faded, revealing that his body could contain far more Qi even though his foundation remained damaged; he began restoring it with Earth Qi and Ziwei Emperor Qi.
• Qi WuHuo recreated and recorded insights into 108 techniques he had observed from the Star Lords, intending to teach some of them to the Mountain Gods.
• Qi WuHuo examined the Primordial Ancestral Qi jade slip and saw its hidden formation resolve into the single character Qi, summoning the eyes of a middle-aged Daoist.
• Seventh Prince Li Zhai’s father visited him in house arrest and asked whether he still resented him.

The emperor explained to Li Zhai why he had let Jinzhou suffer and argued that his harsh rule was needed to unite humanity against the gods, then freed his son and sent him back to the frontier. Meanwhile, Yun Qin evaded the Star Lords and vanished just as she was due to appear publicly as the Northern Emperor’s Son, before running into the black-clad uncle in her hideout.

• The emperor told Li Zhai that the gods had caused the drought and that he had allowed events in Jinzhou to unfold while preventing the Demon Race from gaining a Great Sage.
• The emperor defended his rule by saying strong authority, prosperity, and unity were necessary to oppose Heaven and prevent greater suffering.
• The emperor broke Li Zhai’s chain, warned him that the capital was nearing chaos, and urged him to return to the frontier and never come back.
• Star Lord Zuo Fu and the Ox and Vega Star Lords searched for Yun Qin but found only her note saying she had gone to school.
• Yun Qin slipped away from the Ox Mansion, avoiding the ceremony for the Northern Emperor’s Son, and reached her secret hideout.
• Yun Qin found the black-clad uncle hiding there with the same concealment technique and exclaimed in surprise.

Yun Qin and the black-clothed Great Dao Lord escaped their duties and exchanged playful teachings, while the Northern Emperor's Son missed a major apology ceremony and was praised for choosing to cultivate. In the Human World, a young Daoist passed the [Primordial Ancestral Qi] test and was offered a place among the Twelve Holy True Ones.

• Yun Qin and the black-clothed Great Dao Lord hid together in the Spirit Grass garden, shared Wuhuo's snacks, and complained about the ceremonies and duties they had avoided.
• Yun Qin showed the Great Dao Lord how to imagine a vast world within a patch of Spirit Grass, and he taught her a cloud-weaving divine ability using twigs.
• Star Lord Zuo Fu reported that the Northern Emperor's Son could not be found, and the Northern Emperor confirmed she was cultivating instead of attending the ceremony.
• The Great Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole accepted the wait, and the immortals praised the Northern Emperor's Son after seeing her note: [Don't worry].
• A young Daoist passed the test of [Primordial Ancestral Qi], and the middle-aged man offered to make him a true disciple among the Twelve Holy True Ones before asking whether he had a master.

Qi WuHuo deciphered the twelve seals on the Primordial Ancestral Qi and created the powerful technique Myriad Qi Returns to Origin, drawing immense Qi across He Lian Mountain. The Primordial Celestial Venerable Yuqing returned as Qi WuHuo demonstrated the technique, while in the Imperial City Zhou Yihan was unexpectedly received by the reclusive County Princess.

• The Primordial Celestial Venerable Yuqing recognized Qi WuHuo as a Supreme One disciple and refused to take him as his own, then sealed the Primordial Ancestral Qi before departing.
• A dignified woman explained that Yuqing would not accept Qi WuHuo because of his lineage, but watched as he broke the seals using his understanding of Qi.
• Qi WuHuo copied the twelve seals, joined them with the Supreme Edict, and formed the technique Myriad Qi Returns to Origin.
• Qi WuHuo drew the Qi of He Lian Mountain into his courtyard, transformed it into a dragon, and restored the plum tree; Yuqing then reappeared beneath it.
• Zhou Yihan visited Prince Qin's Mansion to discuss the Daoist named Qi and was surprised when the reclusive County Princess came to meet her.

Li Qiongyu secured the Zhou Clan’s support by sending Zhou Yihan to accompany Li Zhai to the border, while Li Zhai agreed to investigate the past through Jinzhou. At court, the Human Emperor named Li Hui Crown Prince and elevated Li Weifeng, setting two rival factions against each other.

• Li Qiongyu read the Daoist’s letter, offered Zhou Yihan refuge, and told her that Li Zhai had arrived at Prince Qin’s Mansion.
• Li Zhai explained that he would guard the border to prevent chaos, and Li Qiongyu promised to keep A Feng in check.
• Li Qiongyu passed along the Daoist’s advice and suggested Li Zhai travel through Jinzhou to learn what had happened; Zhou Yihan gave Li Qiongyu the Zhou Clan’s seal and rode after Li Zhai.
• Li Zhai caught Zhou Yihan following him, learned she was his fiancée and intended to accompany him, and allowed her to come along.
• At the grand court assembly, the Human Emperor revoked the Crown Prince’s rank and named Li Hui Crown Prince.
• The Human Emperor also elevated Li Weifeng to Principal First Rank and granted him the right to attend court without bowing, deepening the division between the two factions.